Comparison

Cardinal Chains vs Drain Brain

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Cardinal Chains

A minimalist puzzle game where players link numbers in non-decreasing sequences to fill a monochrome grid with color. It offers a relaxing experience with a handcrafted soundtrack and elegant design, free from timers or ads.

Highlights
  • 500 unique handcrafted puzzles
  • Non-decreasing sequence gameplay
  • Chill-out soundtrack
  • Minimalist design
  • Customizable color themes
  • Achievements and cloud saves
Features
Read full description

Cardinal Chains is a minimalist puzzle game centering on the concept of non-decreasing sequences. Each puzzle begins with a monochrome grid of numbers, plus a few colored cells marked with an X. Starting at these cells, you must link up numbers in non-decreasing order until the whole grid is filled with color. • 500 unique, carefully handcrafted puzzles of varying difficulty, each with a single solution • Beautiful, lengthy chill-out soundtrack created by accomplished professional artists • Minimalist, elegant design without timers, ads, purchases or other hassles - just pure gameplay • Several built-in color themes, including colorblind options. Or... • ...make your own color themes - right from within the game! • Features achievements and cloud saves

About

Drain Brain

A retro-styled puzzle game where players connect pipes on a grid to create a path for flowing liquid. Score points by filling pipes and race against the clock to fix dead ends before the flow stops. Features include various pipe types, a smart queue, and bombs to correct mistakes.

Highlights
  • Pipe connection puzzles
  • Retro LCD handheld style
  • Progressive difficulty
  • Smart queue system
  • Game Center leaderboards
  • Original soundtrack
Features
Read full description

Connect pipes before the flow catches up in Drain Brain, a retro-styled puzzle game inspired by classic LCD handhelds! Place pipes on a grid to create a path from start to goal. Once the countdown ends, liquid begins flowing through your creation. Every pipe it fills scores points, but if the flow hits a dead end, you've got seconds to fix it or it's game over! Features: • 7 pipe types including cross pipes that can score twice! • Smart queue system with 5 upcoming pieces! • 3 bombs per level to fix mistakes! • Progressive difficulty that speeds up as you advance! • Game Center leaderboards and achievements! • Original soundtrack by Nobonoko! • Themes, and more! Easy to learn. Hard to master. Each level pushes you faster. How far can you go?!?!?!

Screenshots

Cardinal Chains4 screens
Drain Brain3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Drain Brain at Free against Cardinal Chains's $2.99. Drain Brain also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 5 months). Cardinal Chains's advantage is ratings volume (24 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Drain Brain is free to download; Cardinal Chains costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Cardinal Chains against 5.0 for Drain Brain. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cardinal Chains has 24 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cardinal Chains ships an update every 5 months, Drain Brain daily. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Cardinal Chains versus Drain Brain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCardinal ChainsDrain Brain
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (24 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings24 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size101 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel NoraSymbolic Software

Customer experience

Cardinal Chains

All ratings24 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Drain Brain

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Cardinal Chains

No in-app purchases

None

Drain Brain

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cardinal Chains free?
Cardinal Chains costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Drain Brain free?
Drain Brain is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cardinal Chains or Drain Brain?
Drain Brain is rated higher. Cardinal Chains averages 4.9 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Drain Brain averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Cardinal Chains or Drain Brain have ads?
Neither Cardinal Chains nor Drain Brain shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cardinal Chains or Drain Brain?
Cardinal Chains ships an update every 5 months, and Drain Brain daily. Most recently, Cardinal Chains was updated on September 21, 2026 and Drain Brain on October 2, 2026.

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